


and at most, i'm sleeping all these demons away, but your ghost, it keeps me awake

by tommyshepherdd (atimeforflores)



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Ghost Hunter AU, Haunting, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, jason is dead, like always
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 12:34:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18800449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atimeforflores/pseuds/tommyshepherdd
Summary: “Welcome and thank you for tuning in again to our show.” Wally grinned at the camera, “Today we will be investigating Wayne Manor.”“As many of you know and have mentioned, the Wayne Manor has been a hotbed of spiritual activity ever since the deaths of Martha and Thomas Wayne, only to have had reported sightings double after the murder of Bruce Wayne’s second oldest son, Jason Todd Wayne.” Donna spoke, reading off a paper in her hands.





	and at most, i'm sleeping all these demons away, but your ghost, it keeps me awake

The shaky camera work opened to the gravel path leading to a large mansion far away from the gates the group of teens walked through. 

 

“God, why did we park so far away?” A young man in his early twenties grumbled, wrapping his jacket further around himself. 

 

“It was your idea, Roy.” A woman around the same age answered, “You said it was  _ for the aesthetic _ .”

 

“Shut up, Donna.” He grumbled back, kicking at the rocks beneath his feet. “At least Garth is sympathetic to my plight.”

 

The camera panned to a shorter teen, who was walking with his arms wrapped around Roy’s waist, hiding his face in the taller man’s chest, and attempting to walk backwards.

 

“He’s just trying to suck out your body heat.” Another member of the group said, jostling the pair as they walked. 

 

“That’s not the only thing he’s trying to suck.” Spoke the person holding the camera, high fiving the other man. “Call out the little leech, Dick!”

 

“Shut the fuck up, Wally.” Garth said, not removing himself from where he was snuggled into his boyfriend’s front. 

 

“He’s jealous of our love, baby.” Roy said, stopping for a moment to wrap his boyfriend’s legs around his waist. “He’s too chickenshit to admit his feelings to the person he likes.”

 

The camera was shuffled over to Donna as Wally tackled Roy, the two redheads immediately starting to wrestle. Donna zoomed in on Garth’s pouting face as he sat on the cold ground, having been clumsily deposited there when Roy saw Wally move. 

 

Garth made grabby hands at the other dark haired man, making the other help him to his feet.

 

“C’mon.” Garth huffed, grabbing Dick’s hand and Donna’s wrist, “They’ll be a while.”

 

…

 

When the scene opened again, all five members of the group were seated on an impressive couch. Wally sat on one end with Donna on the other, Dick beside him, and Garth beside Donna and Roy in the middle. Both red heads looked a little rough for the wear, Wally nursing a bruised eye and Roy trying to stop his nose from bleeding. 

 

“Welcome and thank you for tuning in again to our show.” Wally grinned at the camera, “Today we will be investigating Wayne Manor.”

 

“As many of you know and have mentioned, the Wayne Manor has been a hotbed of spiritual activity ever since the deaths of Martha and Thomas Wayne, only to have had reported sightings double after the murder of Bruce Wayne’s second oldest son, Jason Todd Wayne.” Donna spoke, reading off a paper in her hands. 

 

Abruptly, Dick stood up and exited the room, Wally calling after him.

 

“Understandably,” Roy spoke, looking straight at the camera, “This is a hard case for a few of us. Dick, of course, was Jason’s brother. I was one of Jason’s best friends. Before his death, Jason had an intense interest with the supernatural. One of his favorite hobbies that he would do with Dick was search for the ghosts of Martha and Thomas Wayne.” 

 

Donna cleared her throat, continuing her monologue, “Wayne Manor was originally built in the early 19th century. As any older estate, it has been renovated many times as the years have worn on. Most recently, in the early 2000s a fire wiped out about 70% of the original architecture. Luckily enough, no lives were lost in the fire.” 

 

She handed the paper to Garth who continued where she left off, “As Wayne Manor is so large, we will only be investigating known hot spots. This includes the East Wing where all of the current family lives, along with the library, kitchen, garden, and Bruce Wayne’s personal office. Bruce Wayne himself was unable to be here for an interview, but we do have all of his children present, along with the long time family butler, Alfred Pennyworth.”

 

Dick re-entered the room, taking his previous seat with red rimmed eyes and a clenched jaw. Normally he would have continued the spiel on the occupants of the haunted estate along with a run down of the ghosts. This time, he did not. 

 

“We gonna do this or what?” Dick snapped after a slight awkward pause. 

 

…

 

“Okay,” Donna, clapped, gesturing to the room around them, “Our first stop is the kitchen as it is the only room on the lower floor, other than the outside. But Roy will bitch about being cold if we go out there now.”

 

“It’s fucking cold.” Roy mumbled, pulling away from where he was making out with Garth. 

 

_ “Is that allowed?” _ Wally’s scandalized voice rang, as the camera zoomed in on his comically wide eyes and saw him pointing towards the couple. 

 

“Shut the fuck up, Wally.” Dick groaned from behind camera, “And don’t think I didn’t notice you stealing snacks out of the cabinet.”

 

“You know my nerves give me the munchies.” Wally whined, sliding another packet of poptarts in his back pocket. He gave Dick a wide eyed look, trying to convey innocence.

 

“It also makes you fart.” Garth detached himself from Roy for two seconds to add. “Bitch disgusting.”

 

“Oh my god.” Dick groaned, shaking the camera, “Why did I agree to this?”

 

No one said anything for a moment, all just glad that Dick was able to joke and no longer engulfed in the dark cloud that had been following him around. He hadn't put up much of a fight when they discussed the idea but he had been progressively getting tenser and more withdrawn.

 

As if on cue the lights in the kitchen flickered out, causing most of the team to let out a scream. Dick just sighed, rolling his eyes.

 

“I told you guys the main house lights are on a timer.” Dick huffed. 

 

“OH MY GOD LOOK AT THE PANTRY DOOR!” Donna screamed, pointing to the other side of the room. 

 

Donna rushed to Dick, wrestling the camera from his grip to point it at the pantry. Her hands were shaking as a small figure stepped out the door, cloaked in white. Wally let out a small whimper, dropping his snacks on the floor as the figure turned to face them. 

 

“Is that-?” Garth began, his own voice trembling. 

 

“No.” Dick snapped harshly, “It’s just Tim getting a snack. Tim, I told you to get your shit before we got here.” 

 

The ghost pulled the blanket away from his face, revealing a sleepy looking teen. The young teen blinked, yawning widely.

 

“Oh. Is that today?” He asked after a moment, shrugging and opening his bag of chips, looking totally unconcerned.

 

“I fucking hate this family.” Dick mumbled under his breath, grabbing his younger brother by the scruff of his neck and escorting him out of the room, “Come on, guys, first interviewee is here.”

 

…

 

Tim shifted uncomfortably in the ornate armchair he was sat in. Across from him sat the group of ghost hunters, staring intently. He yawned again, reaching a hand up to pick at a pimple on his chin. 

 

“So, like, why are you guys in my house?” Tim asked after a few more moments of silence. He blinked innocently, as if he truly had no idea why they were there. 

 

“Tim we’ve talked about this.” Dick said, rubbing at his temples. “Please, just work with me for like half an hour.”

 

Tim yawned again, leaning back in the armchair and blinking sleepily. 

 

“Okay, Tim,” Wally began leaning in towards the younger male, “Have you ever had any supernatural experiences here?”

 

Tim contemplated for a moment before nodding his head, “When I was a kid I’d sneak over here to explore the grounds during the night. Back when I was still living with my biological parents. Or well, living in their house. They never were around much. Dick found me a few times watching him and Jason look for the ghosts of Bruce’s parents. I used to take some pictures, caught a few weird lights and shapes. Thought I used to see faces in the attic windows. Turned out it was just Jason taping printed out faces to them.”

 

Wally nodded, asking, “And after Jason’s death? Would you say that there was increased activity in the manor?” 

 

Tim looked uncomfortable, eyes darting to Dick. He hesitated before he answered, nervously playing with his fingers. 

 

“The manor just feels...heavy.” Tim began. “There’s constantly this dark cloud, and I don’t know if that is Jason’s presence or the lack thereof. It’s not just grief because sometimes I think I hear him walking the hall, or I think I see him turning a corner, or I catch a whiff of cigarette smoke and I think it’s him, but it never is.”

 

Dick subtly wiped a tear from his own eye, rising from the couch to comfort his younger brother. 

 

“I don’t know if he’s still here.” Tim whispered, “But some days I wish he still was, and I think that’s way more selfish of me.”

 

…

 

Dick had removed both himself and Tim from the room after Tim dissolved into sobs, taking him back to his room. After Dick came back to the living room, a small child was trailing after him. 

 

“Okay, so let’s try not to make any of my other siblings cry if it can be helped.” Dick grumbled, smoothing a hand through the child’s hair and lifting him onto his hip. 

 

“Uh, Dick?” Wally asked, “Who’s that?”

 

The child scoffed, “We’ve met, West.” 

 

“Yes.” Wally answered patiently, “We’ve met. The viewers don’t know who you are, however.”

 

“Who doesn’t know who I am?” The child asked arrogantly, sticking his tongue out in a moment of true childishness. 

 

“Damian.” Dick chastised, “Please say hello to my friends.”

 

“Tt.” Damian said, eyeing the group, “Troy. Curry. Harper.”

 

He paused for dramatic effect, curling his lip into a sneer, “West.”

 

“Damian is gonna give us a tour of the upstairs.” Dick said, jostling the boy on his hip. 

 

Damian wiggled to be put down, fisting a tiny hand in Dick’s shirt and dragging him along. Dick gestured for the rest of the group to follow. Wally was in the back of the group, wiggling his eyebrows as he zoomed in on Dick’s butt. 

 

“He thick.” Wally muttered, snickering with Roy. Roy was only able to giggle for a few seconds until Garth stormed off however, with Roy trailing after him. 

 

“Babe, I was just joking around.” Roy could be heard saying as they ran ahead of the entire group, locking themselves in the bathroom. Voices could be heard through the door before they tapered off into moans and things less family friendly. Dick moved to cover Damian’s ears, making faces as they passed the bathroom. Donna banged on the door, yelling at them that they got 20 minutes to themselves. 

 

“So what are we doing up here while those two are busy?” Donna turned to Dick to ask. Her face softened as she saw Damian rubbing at his eyes tiredly and leaning into his older brother’s side. 

 

“Get familiar with the corridor.” Dick answered, once again picking up Damian. The young boy just put his head on his older brother’s shoulder, snuggling into him. 

 

“That was the bathroom.” Dick said, pointing at the door Garth and Roy had disappeared behind. “I’m gonna have to clean that up before Alfred finds it.”

 

Further down the hall, the floor creaked. Wally jumped, shrieking as they looked to the seemingly empty hall. He screamed louder as a shadow walked towards them. 

 

“We’re gonna die!” Wally shouted, using Donna as a shield. 

 

“Oh, hey, Cass.” Donna greeted, hugging the other girl as she stepped out of the shadows. 

 

_ Hello _ . Cass signed, smiling at the other girl. Damian reached out for her, snuggling into her as she held him. 

 

_ Where Fish and Arrow? _ She asked, using her signs for Garth and Roy. 

 

Wally responded with a less than PG hand gesture that was definitely not actual sign language and just him acting out what he thought they were doing. 

 

Cass scrunched her nose in disgust, covering Damian’s eyes. 

 

Further down the hall the floor creaked again, this time accompanied with the sound of something hitting the ground. 

 

“It’s an old house.” Dick stated logically, walking towards the end of the corridor where the sound had come from. Wally followed, breathing heavily as they approached the end. All the doors were closed as they passed, offering no explanation for the crash. 

 

Finally, their feet stepped on broken glass, crunching it under their shoes. Dick bent down, wiping the remaining glass off the photo laying on the floor. 

 

“Is that-?” Wally began, cutting himself off. 

 

“Yeah.” Dick answered, clutching the of Jason to his chest. 

 

…

 

As the night got later, the crew transitioned into the portion of the episode where they had to attempt to sleep in one of the rooms that were supposedly haunted. Donna, Roy, and Garth were in Jason’s old bedroom. It had been kept the same since his death, with only Alfred going in biweekly to dust. They were told part of the grieving process was to pack up the family members things. They had yet to get that point, even four years later. 

 

Donna grumbled about having to stay with the couple, something about them hooking up no matter who was in the room. 

 

That left the library to Wally and Dick. They made sure that the other three were settled into the room with the firm reminder not to move anything out of place before making their way to the library. 

 

Dick took a deep breath as he entered the room, trying to force back the wave of memories that had occured in the room. 

 

Wally walked around the room, fingers skimming the shelves as he wandered. He paused for a moment, picking up a worn book, opening it to the dog eared page. 

 

“Jason was reading that when he died.” Dick answered the unspoken question, “He was really into it and excited to find out how it ended, wanted to continue the series.”

 

“I remember reading that in school.” Wally said, gently placing The Giver back into the space it was sitting. Dick knew that he had flipped through the pages a hundred times, fingers gliding over Jason’s penmanship and notes. 

 

“He was just reading it for fun.” Dick replied, voice cracking. “God, I wish he was still here.”

 

Wally wrapped an arm around him, pulling Dick to his chest and laying a comforting hand on his back. Dick pulled Wally closer to himself, silent tears running down his cheeks.

 

In the background, the fireplace crackled. It left long shadows along the walls, almost giving the illusion that there was another person watching Wally and Dick.

 

…

 

Garth hugged his knees to his chest, trying to slow his breathing. Somehow he had gotten lost on his way to the bathroom, and had convinced himself that the sound of the house settling was someone following him. He began to run, trying to escape someone who wasn’t even there and had ended up hopelessly lost. That was when the hyperventilating started. 

 

He slid down the wall, curling his toes in the expensive rug he had come to a stop at. He held in a wail, his anxiety choking the sound in his throat. His breath began coming in wheezes, signifying the beginning of an asthma attack.

 

He had just begun wheezing, feeling his chest tighten when he felt a hand on his back, beginning to rub comforting circles on his back. He knew right away that it was both too small and not calloused enough to be Roy. In another moment he felt an inhaler pressed into his hands, the same gentle hand leading it to his mouth and holding over his trembling hands. 

 

Two puffs later and a few more minutes of trembling, Garth was able to look up. He found himself staring into the eyes of a teen in his late teens. 

 

“Oh, hey.” The teen greeted him, helping him stand. “You one of Dick’s friends?”

 

“Yeah.” Garth answered shakily, rubbing his cheeks dry in embarrassment. “On a stupid ghost hunt.”

 

The stranger chuckled, “We used to do those all the time when I was a kid. I’m pretty sure Dick was just humoring me though.”

 

Garth laughed alongside him, “I’m pretty sure he just does this to keep Wally happy.”

 

“C’mon.” the teen said, gesturing for Garth to follow him, “I’ll show you the way back.”

 

Before Garth knew it, they had made it back to the familiar hallway that Garth had started in.

 

“Hey, babe, I was looking for you!” Roy called to Garth as he exited Jason’s bedroom. 

 

“Sorry, I got lost.” Garth said bashfully, “But one of Dick’s siblings-,”

 

He turned to introduce the teen to his boyfriend but found the other was gone. 

 

“Where’d he go?” Garth wondered aloud, searching the hallway. “He was just here.”

 

“Babe, c’mon.” Roy said, grabbing him by the hand, “You probably just need some sleep. You know how creeped out you get in these old houses.”

 

“Yeah.” Garth agreed, eyes still searching. He thought he had seen another glimpse of the teen as they entered the room. When he turned to search again, no one was there. 

 

…

 

As the dawn broke, Wally and Dick wandered the gardens of the manor. There was a chill in the morning air, causing Wally to shiver as he followed Dick through the maze of hedges. 

 

“Dick?” Wally began hesitantly, reaching out for the taller male and pulling him to a stop, “Why don’t you want to believe that ghosts could be real? That Jason could still be here?”

 

Dick’s jaw tightened, his entire form tensing. “I just can’t, Wally.”

 

Dick pulled his wrist out of Wally’s grasp, footfalls echoing in the tranquility of the early hour. 

 

Wally rushed after him, once again pulling him to a stop, “Dick, please, I just want to understand.”

 

Dick clenched his fists, jaw trembling as a tear rolled down his cheek. “Because, Wally. I can’t believe that these ghosts are just watching us fail, watching us grieve. That they track our every moment and their presence haunt us. I can’t believe that my parents may still be out and just choosing not to come to me. That I may be able to see more than just their broken bodies on the circus floor.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Wally said, voice small.

 

“It took me 6 hours to get his blood out from under my nails.” Dick continued, “Sometimes I wake up late at night and it's still there.”

 

Tears were streaming down Dick’s face now, his words coming out more like sobs than sentences. 

 

“Wally, you just can’t expect me to believe-,” Dick spun on his heel, jabbing his finger into Wally’s chest. Abruptly his eyes focused on something behind him, cutting the words off in his throat. 

 

“Dick?” Wally asked, turning to see what he was staring out. Wally’s eyes found their way to Jason’s memorial, and on the headstone sat the same copy of The Giver that had been in the library. 

 

Dick approached the memorial slowly, feet dragging as he approached it. “After his death, I’d bring this book out here and read it out loud. I hoped that somehow he would be able to hear me.”

 

The wind rustled, mimicking the cry of a child. 

 

…

 

Donna met them in the kitchen, solemnly passing them silverware as Alfred bustled around the table. 

 

“The couple’s still sleeping.” She told them, ruffling their hair and giving them both a kiss on the cheek. It was a typical greeting for her. 

 

“Late night?” Dick asked. 

 

“Haven’t a clue. I slept like a baby.”

 

As if summoned, Garth and Roy made their way into the kitchen, sitting themselves at the table and immediately grabbing for food. 

 

“How’d you guys sleep?” Wally asked. 

 

“Had a weird dream.” Garth answered through a mouthful of toast. “Got lost. And check this- Jason led me back to the room!”

 

Roy snorted, “Don’t act like I wasn’t the one to tell you who you ‘saw’ was.”

 

“Sorry I’m not a fanboy like you, Roy.” Garth teased him in return. 

 

“Master Richard.” Alfred addressed his charge, setting a plate down in front of Dick, “I trust you and your friends are going to clean up after yourselves’.”

 

“Of course, Alfred.” Dick agreed, giving him a cheeky grin. “Don’t you worry.”

 

“Thank you, Master Richard.” Alfred spared him a chaste pat on the back, a fond look in his eyes shining through. 

 

“No, thank you, Alfred!” Dick said, running his plate to the sink. He collected the rest of the group’s plates, quickly rinsing them off. “You’re the best!”

 

As the rest of the group wandered upstairs to pack their things, Wally once again snagged Dick by the wrist and held him back. 

 

“Hey.” Wally said, looking into Dick’s blue eyes.

 

“Hey.” Dick echoed, a grin pulling at his lips. 

 

“We good?” Wally asked nervously playing with Dick’s fingers. 

 

“Always.” Dick replied, bending down and brushing a kiss on the highpoint of Wally’s cheek, “Now c’mon, we got a bathroom to hose down.”

 

…

 

The camera focused on the group once again sitting on the couch they began on. The arrangement was also the same. 

 

“So in today’s episode on whether or not Wayne manor is haunted, thats gonna be a hard maybe.” Wally spoke. 

 

“But sometimes,” Dick continued, “What you find looking for something else can be as equally satisfying.”

 

The camera zoomed in on his and Wally’s linked hands before fading to black. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
